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South African batting legend AB de Villiers has praised 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for his talent and expressed optimism about his potential across formats, while also commending the selectors for including the teenage sensation in India's T20I squad.
On Saturday, the BCCI named Sooryavanshi in India's squads for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, as well as the Asian Games. At 15, Sooryavanshi became the youngest-ever player to be picked for the Indian national side, breaking a 36-year-old record previously held by legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who debuted against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of 16. Speaking at a Kabuni event at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai on Sunday, de Villiers discussed Sooryavanshi's prospects in red-ball cricket. "Yeah, he's a wonderful talent. The red-ball thing I absolutely cannot answer. I think he can if he wants to, but there's your answer, and there's the big question as well is does he really want to? Time will tell. There's no doubt he's got the talent and the ability to do so. It won't always be easy, and I've mentioned that a few times before," de Villiers said in a video shared to ANI on Sunday. The former cricketer added, "If he decides to play red-ball cricket, there will be some challenges, but he's got the skill and the ability to work through that and in my opinion, I hope he does try and play Test cricket, but I doubt it. We'll see in future." On the 15-year-old making it to the national side, de Villiers lauded the selectors' decision to include Sooryavanshi in the T20I side, calling it "the right call" and "a brave decision". "It's definitely the right call from the selectors. So well done to them for making the brave decision. It would have been easy to say that he's still too young and he's not ready, and go for more experience. He's broken down that door, and he deserves his place in the Indian T20 team, so I'm happy for him," the South African batting legend added. Sooryavanshi had a historic Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The 15-year-old had an extraordinary tournament for Rajasthan Royals (RR), finishing as the highest run-scorer with 776 runs at an exceptional strike rate of 237.30. Sooryavanshi's consistent performances, including a record-breaking 72 sixes, helped him surpass several long-standing IPL records and establish himself as one of the most promising talents in Indian cricket during the 2026 season. The Bihar-born sensation spearheaded a clean sweep at the tournament's post-season awards, capturing an unprecedented haul including Most Valuable Player (MVP), Emerging Player of the Season, Super Striker, the Orange Cap, and Super Sixes of the Season. (ANI)
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